Rating:

The underwater life of Palau is the best that I've seen anywhere in the world, outdoing Bali, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, the Bahamas...
There is a ban on fishing for sharks in Palau (though the sad sight of a few sharks with a hook and line streaming from their mouth showed it still happens).
Still, this leaves Palau with large numbers of grey reef sharks, as well as a variety of other big critters.
In a week, we saw the following, in no particular order: 6 mantas that we snorkelled with, a giant hammerhead, a silvertip shark, possibly a young bull shark, grey reef sharks on basically every dive, white tip sharks, black tip sharks, a nurse shark, a leopard shark, 2 marble blotched rays, 2 eagle rays, a feather-tailed ray, an octopus, chevron barracuda, yellow-fin barracuda, turtles, pleurobranchs, lobsters...
There's a great variety of dive sites. Currents can be strong at times but this seems to bring the most action.
Blue Corner, German Channel and Peleliu Express are deservedly world famous. Palau has the best diving I've seen anywhere in the world, both on variety of dive sites and the large amount of marine life. It is particularly good for sharks. I haven't dived the Galapagos, but I gather the two spots are comparable."
Alex Frew McMillan

There's no argument that the diving in Palau is fantastic. The vis was good but the quantity of pelagics really made the dives memorable, and the exceptionally strong currents added a new dimension.
Also of note is Dolphins Pacific where you can swim with dolphins in a beautiful setting nestled between the characteristic forest covered limestone islands.
While accomodation is normally very expensive a new hostel had opened up (2003) for around $15 per night - sorry I can't remember the name but it is beside the bridge 10 minutes walk downhill from the main street of Korror. Enjoy. "
Leon Ebbelaar, Australia

"Palau is paradise, not place on earth like it. The diving is amazing, the people gracious and endearing.. heaven on earth!"
Jennie, 2010

Rating:

"Awesome current swept corner where schools of barracuda and sharks swim along the wall. Divers use "reef hooks" to catch the wall and hold on for a breath taking view of fish and sharks, swimming in the current. Sort of like watching a movie! A must do dive."
Anita Floyd

Outstanding quantity and diversity of life.
Michael Rodriguez

"The Blue Corner Wall dive offers the greatest variety and quantity of sea life from sharks, pelagics, cuttlefish, wrasses, turtles, orcas, shellfish, etc...this is truly the best in the world. The warmth of the sea gives you a relaxing and enjoyable time in the water. As I said, this is truly the best dive site in the world: better than the Yongala, Australia. Palau is like mother-nature untouched."
Sumang Seid

"Huge schools of barracudas, spotted eagle rays, napoleon wrasses and many white tip sharks..."
Susan

"All of Palau above and below is a journey of a lifetime. "
Dan

"Palau's most popular dive site, Blue Corner, is recognised as the best in the world due to its concentration of marine life. Dogtooth tuna, resident Napoleon wrasses, wahoo and other large fish float on the rapid current of this underwater promontory. At slack tide, schools of triggerfish and butterflyfish come up off the reef to form a multicolored kaleidoscope against the rich ocean blue. This site is literally an underwater wonderland. This is a must do dive site because it is so fabulous! "
Frances Santoy

"Blue Corner definitely deserves to be at or near the top of your Top 10. Hook your reef hook in and watch the action, with grey reef sharks by the dozen, white tips, dogtooth tuna, king mackrel, barracuda, giant jacks, black jacks, even a silvertip shark if you're lucky. "
Alex Frew McMillan

"Best dive site I know: fantastic currents with schools of sharks and barracudas. "
Captain

"Sharks, Turtles, Napolean Wrasse, Humphead Parrots and Mantas. At any given time you can find the big five right here in one spot. Beautiful dive."
Robert, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 2010

"Like an underwater dream of epic proportions, ten times better than the Yongala, scores of grey reef sharks cruise by as thick schools of GTs, barracuda and jacks hang in the air. Eagle rays and Napoleon Wasse check you out as white-tips and black-tips scout for food. Turtles float past as a family of bumphead parrot fish demolish the thick coral. If you can be bothered to look down, morays, nudibranches and mantis shrimp decorate the area, but with the 40 odd sharks cruising by you probably won't even look. Underwater heaven."
Sarah, 2008

"Teaming with schools of fish of all kinds, a couple of friendly napolean wrasse, so much action that while you are hooked in you have to keep looking a 360 degrees or you will miss something. "
Chrisse Harwanko, 2007

"At the turn of the tide there were so many sharks doing their dandy acts right in front of us. There were small cleaner fish just off the nose of a few and who would dash inside the predator's mouth to clean up then in a flash would scurry out as mr. shark closed his mouth. "
Chrisse Harwanko, 2007

"Absolutely stunning. Looked like a drive through at McDonald's for sea life. Turtles, Sharks, Napolean Wrasse, Anemones, etc were everywhere. Best of all, my 11 and 13 year old kids were right there with me. "
Shane Gray, USA, 2007

"Absolutely amazing shark life, schools of baraccuda, turtles, napolean wrasse, bumphead parrot fish. "
Anita Light, UK, 2007

"An amazing aray of colorful coral and fish. A huge amount of sharks, sleeping and active. It blew Australia out of the water. "
Paul Windell, USA, 2007

"At this underwater paradise, I finally found peace and solitude while diving. I found myself swimming among countless sharks, barracudas, and many other marine species. The beauty that illumnated from this place cannot be beaten. Of all the dive sites I've been to, this one is truly the best."
Nikki Dasani, 2006

"Wall dive, schools of snapper, jacks...resident Napoleon Wrasse, eagle rays. Movie theatre of reef sharks! Much much better than Thistlegorm, and told by buddys that its much better than Yongala!"
Del Henderson, 2006

"Amazing! Exciting diving. Strong current takes you onto the reef, where you hook up and enjoy the sharks playing around you! Lovely huge Neopolean Wrasse too. "
Samantha Turner, 2011

"This is less well-known than Blue Corner but equally exciting. It is infrequently dived because it is further to the south of Palau, and many dive operators don't want to take the time or use the gas to get there. But the current will push you along a sloping wall at about 25 meters. You can hook on with a reef hook at the corner, much like Blue Corner. On our dive, we saw a nurse shark, plenty of grey reef sharks, a huge dogtooth tuna, small barracuda and a giant hammerhead, which the grey reef sharks mobbed to chase it away. Amazing. "
Alex Frew McMillan

"I fully agree with Alex McMillan comment on Peleliu (Palau)"
Captain

Rating:

"Better than Blue Corner, ask any dive guide in Palau"
Danny Mispelblom, 2007

"At the turn of the tide there were so many sharks doing their dandy acts right in front of us. There were small cleaner fish just off the nose of a few and who would dash inside the predator's mouth to clean up then in a flash would scurry out as mr. shark closed his mouth. "
Chrisse Harwanko, 2007

"Sharks, sharks and more sharks, very fast currents, bait ball of fish being circled and entered by grey sharks - fantastic. "
Anita Light, UK, 2007

"Better than Blue Corner, ask any dive guide in Palau"
Danny Mispelblom, 2007

"Amazing underwater scenery and shark action."
Dale, 2006

"Channel dive with 5 cleaning stations. Manta's lining up like aeroplanes at cleaning stations. Good dive, if you like Manta's! "
Del Henderson, 2006

"Beatiful entry into holes, head east along the wall towards blue corner and its like an aquarium.... stacked with fish life, corals and lots of sharks! "
Del Henderson, 2006

Rating:

" Diving the condmindium in Palau is incredible. They call it the condomindium because it looks like a set of apartment bocks. A cabbage coral wall that just is so big (can't really remember how big) and each piece of cabbage coral has a fish that lives in it and ferociously defends its home. All of Palau is great, but the condomindium sticks in my mind the most. "
Tina, Australia, 2010

Big Blue Explorer liveaboard
Scubaworld
Makati City
Philippines
(MCPO Box 2815, Makati City, Philippines)

" I really enjoyed my week on the Big Blue Explorer liveaboard. At around US$1,600 for the week, it is fairly pricey. But diving in Palau is not cheap, with shore-based operators charging US$100 for two dives. The boat includes all food and soft drinks, plus up to five dives a day. A week of diving from shore with two dives a day plus an occasional night dive would probably cost the same (with a lot fewer dives) because accommodation is expensive in Palau.
Big Blue will give you five dives a day, visiting the best dive sites in Palau. The dive staff tries to time the dives so you avoid the shore-based divers and the crowds. The Palau Aggressor also looked good, but I think more expensive.
Big Blue Explorer's cabins are pretty small. My other criticism is that the dive staff tended to mother the divers a little too much, diving very conservatively despite the fact that all of us were fairly experienced. But I guess it's better to have more attention than you need than too little.
Moderate value for money "
Alex Frew McMillan

    Name: 
  E-mail: 
Comments: